How else would it know EXACTLY what to do to make me doubt my decision?

Here’s where the cartoon comes in. I was celebrating the end of 4HB, thinking that it hadn’t worked for me anyway, so I might as well move on. Then I went to change into workout clothes…and my jeans fell off my waist. No unzipping. No wriggling. I bent down to get my running shorts and the jeans just sort of fell. I don’t need a scale or measuring tape to tell me that something is going right.

Saturday: Cheat Day! Whee! Per my plans, I approached Cheat Day of Week 3 a bit more cautiously — enjoying things that were off-limits during the week, but not going nuts. That worked well until about 9 p.m., when I went to the bar to visit Lucas and all.eating.hell.broke.loose. Beer, ice cream pretzels…ugh.

Sunday: Ate a 4HB breakfast but in protest — I was feeling very rebellious and craving peanut butter and chocolate like nobody’s business. So I ate it. Lots of it. Figured I’d gone off the rails and proceeded to eat and drink everything I could get my hands on. Felt sick. Felt sad. Didn’t care.

At this point, I made a crucial decision. I declared that I was NOT going to go back on plan.

Then I changed my mind.

I had to remind myself that one day of damage would not set me back forever, but quitting was something I couldn’t live with.

So, Monday-Friday: Totally on plan, drinking a TON of water (more than I had been — about 120 ounces a day!) and avoiding even the should I/shouldn’t I treats that are a bit controversial on plan.

Overall

This week was a very rocky start, and I really thought about giving up. But hate the idea of quitting, and knew that continuing to overindulge wasn’t going to get me any closer to goal, so I might as well get back on track.

I had a series of great conversations with people who are also on 4HB, and they encouraged me to do two things:

Drink much more water (I did, and ended up in the bathroom every 20 minutes!)

Consider switching the fat loss track to the strength training track (which involves a variation on the diet and allows for things like brown rice and oatmeal) — I have not made that change yet, but if I went back for another round of 4HB, I most likely would.

Diet

The beans seem to be settling in my tummy a little better! A friend suggested that I take a fiber supplement at night, which I considered but figured it might wreck the experiment at this point. If I went back for another round of 4HB, I probably would consider the supplement.

I’m getting really sick of eggs — although adding avocado this week made a big difference. I’ve never been a big egg fan, anyway, so if you like them — you’ll be fine!

I played around with smaller portion sizes this week, reminding myself that I can always go back for more. It seemed to work.

The Good

Iam still feeling in control — something that helps me clamp down on my tendency to overeat.

The plan still seems pretty manageable, even as a vegetarian.

The cheat day worked in THEORY — I was able to stay reasonable until 9 p.m., but I chalk that up to my own lack of willpower.

I really miss oatmeal and bread, and have struggled with creative recipes that fit 4HB. I have some form of beans and veggies for three meals a day and I’m just not looking forward to meals anymore (which, I suspect, is part of the plan).

I’m still not seeing a ton of results (see the details below) and given the fact that I have been on plan (except for Sunday’s slip), I’d expected to do better.

The Results*:

Start

Weight X

Measurements X

Week 1

Weight -2lbs

Measurements n/a

Week 2

Weight -3.8lbs (total since start)

Measurements

Left Arm same

Right Arm -.25

Waist +.25

Hips -.5

Left Leg same

Right Leg +.5

Week 3

Weight -2 (+1.8 from Week 2)

Measurements

Left Arm -.25 (-.25 from Week 2)

Right Arm-.25 (same as Week 2)

Waist +.5 (+.25 from Week 2)

Hips -.5 (same as Week 2)

Left Leg (+.5) (+.5 from Week 2)

Right Leg +1.5 (+1 from Week 2)

Week 4

Weight -1.6 (+.4 from Week 3)

Measurements

Left Arm -.25 (-.5 from Week 3)

Right Arm -.25 (same as Week 3)

Waist -1 (X from Week 3)

Hips -.5 (X from Week 3)

Left Leg +.5 (same as Week 3)

Right Leg +1 (same as Week 3)

Overall:

Inches at start: X

Inches at finish: -.5

Yikes. I saw a bit of down and up and some decent improvement in my waist (I can see it in the pictures). My leg measurements are up, but (unless I’m nuts) I think that can be attributed to the fact that I’ve been lifting REALLY heavy weights and increasing my run distances. I never got officially measured for body fat, but I believe I’ve seen a drop in that, too.

But it sure would have been nice to see better results on the scale. I actually *gained* weight after a nice drop in the first week.

*I don’t have a problem sharing my weight or my exact measurements, but I’m sensitive to the fact that for some, the numbers may be a trigger or a way to compare their numbers to mine. So I’m not posting them publicly. If you are just DYING to know, email me kwidrick at gmail dot com and I’ll share.

BOTTOM LINE:

I pledged to do 4HB for 4 weeks and I have. I’ve decided that for me, it’s not the right time to continue strictly on the plan. I have a half marathon to complete, dance classes to take and Body Pump to rock. All of those require specific fueling and nutrition, and I don’t think the slow-carb plan supports those goals.

However, I do plan to take some points from the plan and work them into my diet, moving forward, including:

LOTS of water every day

Staying away from artificial sweeteners

Substituting some grains/carbs with legumes and other protein-rich foods

Smaller portions

A “treat” day to use as incentive for making good decisions during the week

Do I recommend the plan for you? It depends on your goals (see above) and how flexible you are with your food. I know that Lucas made sacrifices — either eating what I was eating (yucky for him) or making separate dishes. He had to understand that going out to eat was even trickier than normal for me. He had to put up with my cravings and mood swings.

Read the book. Soak it in. If you’re intrigued by the idea of experimenting with your body, go for it.

About Katy

Katy Widrick is a multimedia producer and online marketing consultant at MakeMediaOver.com. A NASM-certified personal trainer and AFAA-certified group exercise instructor, she writes about healthy living in a hectic world -- a balance between fitness and friendships, all built through social media. But her favorite job is mom to two beautiful girls.